Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

Infusing the spontaneous energy of jam-band performance into reggae grooves and global rhythms, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad has long sought to expand the genre’s possibilities through high-voltage concerts and boldly experimental studio recordings, among them the 2023 release Love in Time.

The Rochester, New York–based collective came together in 2001 with brothers Chris O’Brian on drums and Matt O’Brian on guitar alongside their childhood friend James Searl, who handled vocals and bass. Serious momentum arrived in 2006 when the lineup grew to include guitarist Dylan Savage, keyboardist Rachel Orke, and percussionist Aaron Lipp; that same year the expanded ensemble issued its first album, Slow Down, and began attracting notice beyond local circles. A pair of live documents, Live Up! and Live Up! Volume II, appeared in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Also in 2010, Matt O’Brian and Orke departed, after which Dan Keller joined on lead guitar. The new configuration delivered two 2012 albums: the Americana-tinged Country and the more psychedelic, extended-jam-oriented In These Times. Aaron Lipp subsequently exited, making way for keyboardist Tony Gallicchio, who appeared on the next three studio efforts—Steady (2013), Bright Days (2014), and Make It Better (2015). In 2019 Eli Flynn replaced Keller on guitar, and the band continued to build its audience through free-flowing live sets and projects that registered on the Billboard Reggae charts. Love in Time, released in 2023, marked the group’s most collaborative project to date, featuring contributions from Double Tiger, Anthony B, Skribe Da God, and additional guests.